Clothing or like supporting member



y 1941. R. A. DOBBINS 2,241,084

CLOTHING 0R LIKE SUPPORTING MEMBER Filed April 10. 1939 IN VENT OR.

EHEHEL Fl. DUBBIN ATTORNEY. I

Patented May 6, 1941 rarer orricr.

CLOTHING R LIKE SUPPORTING MEMBER Rachel A. Dobbins, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor of one-half to Joseph G. Slottow, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 10, 1939, Serial No. 267,043

1 Claim.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a clothing or like supporting member that may be detachably secured to an ironing board or table and which will readily hold clothing in a position for pressing or ironing.

A further object of thi invention is to provide a clothing or like holding member that will permit curtains and long pieces of cloth to be ironed or pressed without slipping and that will prevent the creeping of the material while it is being ironed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a clothing or like supporting member thatis flexible in its usage and which wiil increase its pressure or hold upon the cloth or like as the tension on the cloth is increased, thereby preventing the cloth from sagging and creasing during the ironing operation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a clothing or like supporting member that is economical in manufacture, durable and efficient in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of my complete device showing its adaptation to an ironing board, table or like.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of my clothes or like supporting member more fully illustrating its structure.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the device showing the pivoted clamp bar.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the clamping bar showing how it may be serrated to obtain a greater grip.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side View of a portion of the clamp bar with serrations thereon and more fully illustrating the structure shown in Fig. 4.

It is very difficult for one ironing or pressing long pieces of cloth such as curtains or the like to keep the cloth in the proper position upon the ironing board and to hold the cloth so that it may be pressed in one direction without slipping. The clothing or like tends to slip from the ironing board or table and become wrinkled due to the pressure of the iron or like making it hard I come such disadvantages, as will be appreciated and have further provided a clothing or like supporting member which cases the labor connected with ironing or pressing fabrics as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the drawing, I have used the numeral H) to designate the base member of my device which is made in one piece and has the U-shaped bends II and I2 therein, off-set and providing a clamp for hooking the complete base member over the edge of the ironing board, table or like-supporting member. The end portions of this base member are formed into the loop bearing members 13 and i4 and then extend upwardly for a substantial distance to provide the vertical supporting portions I5 and I6 as shown in the drawing. The upper ends of the vertical supporting bars l5 and I6 are bent inwardly to provide a supporting shaft which will hereafter be described. I have used the numeral I! to designate a U-shaped lever bar having its end portions curled about upon themselves to form bearings which embrace the turned in portions or shaft formed on the upper ends on the vertical support IS. The numeral l8 designates a handle member formed on one end of the U-shaped bracket member or lever bar I! for facilitating the manual rotation of this lever bar on the shafts formed by the turned in ends of the upright supports l5 and [6 as shown in the drawing. I have used the numeral l9 to designate a clamp bar having its end portions journaled in the bearing members l3 and I4 and having its central portion depressed relative to its end portions as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. This clamp bar l9 normally rests immediately adjacent the central portion of the U-shaped hanger member I! and may have its lower portion serrated as shown in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, of the drawing in order to increase its friction. These serrated portions I have designated by the numeral 26. I have used the numeral 2| to indicate an ironing board, table top or other supporting structure as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The numeral 22 indicates a piece of cloth or like fabric in position on my device and indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In practical use my device is as follows: The U-shaped members H and [2 are placed over the marginal edge of an ironing board or table. Thus the central portion of the base member or frame ID will be below the table top board and the end portions will be above the table board thus holding the entire structure of the device in its proper alignment. Thus the device is in position ready for operation and use. The handle member 19 is actuated thereby lifting the U-shaped hanger, jaw member or pivot bar I! to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 after which the cloth to beironed is placed over the top of the clamp member or rod l9 and the U -shaped member I! is then allowed to drop so that it will be in the position as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. When tension is applied to the other side of the cloth or the end of the cloth projecting beyond the clamp bar l9, a jamming action between the central portion of the U-shaped member I! and the central portion of the clamp bar i9 is the result, thereby securely holding the cloth in the selected position. As the cloth is being ironed, any increase in tension on this end of the cloth only causes the two bars to be clamped tighter together. As that portion of the cloth ahead of the clamp bar I9 is finished, the operator will merely move the handle member l8, disengaging the U-shaped member 11 from the cloth, thereby permitting the cloth to be moved so that a new area is exposed for ironing or pressing. The peculiar shape of the clamp bar IBpermits a cam action between its central portion and the central portion of the other jaw member l'l thus preventing the cloth or like from slipping and holding it in rigid align-.

ment. To increase this friction between the clamp bar l9 and the central portion of the U-shaped member I! and to more firmly grip the cloth, the serrations 20 are provided which are of such a nature that they will increase the friction without being deep enough to harm or mutilate the fabric being utilized.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a cloth or like support to be used in connection with ironing boards which fulfills all of my objects, is rigid in structure, versatile in use, that will accommodate all thicknesses and finishes of cloth and which will ease the burden of ironing or like. Furthermore, my device permits open weaves such a curtains or like to be properly ironed or pressed without being placed on a rack or like and without distortion of the open weave usually found in curtains or like.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my improved clothes or like supporting member without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

In a device of the class described, a frame designed to be secured to a horizontal ironing board, a bar substantially round in cross section on said frame and designed to rest adjacent the top of an ironing board, and an inverted U-memher having its two end portions operatively hingedly secured to said frame and its center portion normally resting back of said bar and in the same horizontal plane as said bar, whereby a sheet member may be gripped between said bar and U-member by passing upwardly between said central portion of said U-member and said bar.

RACHEL A. DOBBINS. 

